You're going to need to make sure that your gym bag is filled with the right kind of gym attire. You'll set yourself up for long-term success and avoid breaking your New Year's resolution by February like 80 percent of the other people out there by getting your hands on the proper gear.
Ideally, you should stuff your gym bag with everything from T-shirts and shorts to sweatpants and undergarments made out of the best materials on the market. They'll enhance your workouts and help you wipe away sweat while you run, lift weights, or take a class.
You should also avoid wearing certain types of gym attire at all costs to prevent them from ruining your workouts. Here is what not to wear when working out.
100% Cotton Clothing
When you first put a 100% cotton T-shirt on, it might feel like the perfect T-shirt to work out in. It's comfortable, it's light, and it stretches out slightly to provide you with the right fit when you're moving around in it.
But once you start sweating in a 100% cotton T-shirt, you'll quickly see why so many people have sworn off wearing them to the gym forever. These T-shirts will soak up sweat and hold onto it until your workout is over.
Walking around in a wet T-shirt throughout the duration of a workout will obviously be uncomfortable. But worse, it could also put your health at risk since a wet T-shirt could eventually attract bacteria and even lead to mold growth.
Rather than wearing 100% cotton clothing to the gym, you should opt for clothing that will wick moisture away and eliminate it. It'll keep you dryer and cooler when you're working out.
Denim Jeans
The idea of working out in denim jeans probably sounds absolutely ludicrous to you if you're a regular at the gym. But every January, there are inevitably a few people who show up at the gym outfitted in jeans.
It might be convenient to walk into the gym after work and get right into your workout while wearing jeans. But right from the very beginning, you'll see why jeans aren't an ideal form of gym attire.
Jeans will severely limit your range of motion and make it difficult for you to perform certain exercises. They'll also prove to be a lot heavier than sweatpants, which will make it tough to run around in them.
And have we mentioned how much chafing you'll experience when you're wearing them? Jeans will rub up against your legs and cause a lot of discomfort while you work out. It's why you should change into more comfortable workout shorts or pants at the gym.
Regular Bras
Women do need to wear bras to the gym when they're working out. But they should be sports bras as opposed to the bras that you wear during your everyday life.
If you attempt to wear a regular bra to the gym, your breasts are going to bounce all over the place as you workout. Outside of the embarrassment you might feel when this happens, the bouncing can also lead to back and shoulder pain over time.
Additionally, you can stretch the tissues in your breasts out when you wear a regular bra instead of a sports bra during a workout. That can lead to your breasts sagging more than they should within just a few years.
Clothes That Are Too Baggy
When you start going to the gym for the first time in a long time, you might be feeling a little bit self-conscious. To alleviate this feeling, you might be tempted to wear clothing that's on the baggier side.
This is a bad idea because baggy clothes could potentially put you in harm's way when you're working out. They could get caught on a piece of exercise equipment and cause you to lose your balance or drop a weight.
Baggy clothes can also make it harder than it has to be for you to move around. You're going to struggle to do certain exercises when you have to stop to adjust your baggy clothing at every turn.
Clothes That Are Too Tight
While you don't want to wear clothes that are too baggy to the gym, you also don't want to wear clothes that are too tight. Shirts and pants that offer a little bit of compression are OK, but they shouldn't be too small for you.
If you wear clothing that is too tight, it can cut off the oxygen supply in certain parts of your body and cause cramping. It can also make it tough for you to bend over and make other movements.
Jewelry and Other Accessories
If you're going to be spending a lot of time in the gym in the new year, throw a lock into your gym bag alongside your gym attire and rent a locker at your facility. It'll give you a place to store your earrings, necklaces, rings, and other jewelry and accessories when you're working out.
Jewelry will often get in the way when you're performing exercises. Long necklaces will bounce all over the place and get tangled up with your headphone cord, while rings will force you to adjust the way you hold onto weights.
So before you walk into the gym, make sure your jewelry is left behind in a locker. It'll prevent it from having an impact on your workout.
Purchase the Right Gym Attire Today
Now that you know what not to wear at the gym, let's talk about some of the gym attire you're going to need.
You should make sure you have plenty of gym-ready T-shirts. You should also stock up on some sleeveless shirts. Winter gear will be great, too, for those days when it gets freezing-cold outside.
When you wear the right clothing to the gym, you'll enjoy better workouts. You'll also improve your physical wellness.
Read our blog to see how your gym attire can make you a healthier person.